The X-Men are a fictional team of superheroes that appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and were first published in 1963. They are among Marvel Comics' most popular and lucrative intellectual properties, appearing in numerous books, television shows, films, and video games. The X-Men are "mutants": humans born with superhuman abilities. They fight to keep the peace between normal humans and mutants in a world where anti-mutant bigotry is widespread.